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The 2005 court-ordered starvation and dehydration death of Terri Schindler Schiavo marked a watershed moment in our nation. Millions of people both here and around the world became suddenly faced the reality that our society is not only willing, but seemingly eager, to treat those with disabilities as if they are expendable.
Shortly after Terri’s death in 2005, the pro-life journal Human Life Review ran a series of articles analyzing the impact of Terri’s death on our culture. Among the articles was one written by our friend Nat Hentoff, a pro-life libertarian.
Believe it or not, there are a handful of individuals in our country who have managed to turn ethical arguments against euthanasia into arguments for euthanasia by making it appear to be a feasible course of medical “treatment.” Among those is Peter Singer, a bioethics professor at Princeton University.
As Nat reminds us, going back to 1983, Singer wrote the following in the American Academy of Pediatrics:
“If we compare a severely defective human infant with a nonhuman animal – a dog or a pig for example, we will often find the nonhuman to have superior capacities, both actual and potential, for rationality, self-consciousness, communication, and anything else that can plausibly be considered morally significant. Only the fact that the defective infant is a member of the species homo sapiens, leads it to be treated differently from the dog or pig.”
Yes, you read that quote correctly. And as if that weren’t appalling enough, Singer has actually advocated that parents of children born with disabilities should have the right to ask for euthanasia for their child up to 28 days after birth. If you’re thinking Singer is advocating for a new version of history repeating itself – that is, killing off those deemed “inferior”-you would be correct.
Sadly, Singer is regarded as one of the leading bioethicists, revered by many in the field, and has won many awards for his so-called “progressive” thinking. Beliefs like his are being taught in ethics courses on college campuses nationwide and are becoming more widespread in the medical community. Nat Hentoff observes:
At the time Professor Singer’s article was published, and increasingly since, infants whose [so-called] “quality of life” is deemed not worth preserving have been euthanized, without, of course, their having had the opportunity to provide a living will or durable power of attorney stating their wishes.
The questions before us, as part of the legacy of Terri Schiavo, are the crucial definitions of “quality of life,” “futility,” and “morally justifiable” with regard to the future of the disabled from birth on. How this debate is resolved should be of more than passing interest to those of us who are only temporarily able.
Our friend Nat Hentoff was right 8 years ago and is right today. Terri Schindler Schiavo left a legacy regarding the definitions of “futility” and “quality of life” and what is “morally justifiable” and can medicine argue that something is moral if one has to argue for its justification? Where do we draw the line? How far will medicine and man go?
These are all questions we will continue to face in the coming years. Will ethics professors like Peter Singer speak for us and for our children? Or will we make our voices heard loudly far and wide?
To do so, we need your help. First, visit the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics where we’ve provided resource links for the latest information from National Right to Life’s Powell Center for Medical Ethics. Educate yourself on the current trends in bioethics that are affecting the treatment of the medically dependent and disabled. Second, download the “Will to Live” pro-life living will for your state at www.nrlc.org/MedEthics/WilltoLiveProject.html. Make copies for friends and loved ones as well.
You are your own best advocate for receiving life-saving medical treatment. A Will to Live lays out the medical treatments you desire if you are unable to speak for yourself….and it might just save your life